Persona studio "working to address" problems plaguing Metaphor: ReFantazio's PC performance in the weeks before launch

Metaphor: ReFantazio screenshot showing an anime-style young blond man with light blue eyes, a window's light glowing behind him
(Image credit: Atlus)

Atlus has promised it's working on the wonky performance for Metaphor: ReFantazio's PC version.

Metaphor: ReFantazio's Prologue demo is giving everyone a taste of the epic fantasy's opening hours - which scarily only covers a fraction of the full game's 100-hour runtime - but some players quickly reported the PC version seemed plagued with various performance issues that caused frequent stuttering and framerate dips in denser areas.

Metaphor's framerate woes were unexpected considering Atlus' Persona 3 Reload ran flawlessly on PC earlier this year, but it doesn't seem like the Persona studio will let its fantasy JRPG fall behind.

"Thank you to everyone who has downloaded and played the Metaphor: ReFantazio - Prologue Demo," Atlus tweeted earlier today. "We are aware there is an optimization issue on Steam and are actively working to address this problem. We will share updates, including patch release information through our official social media platforms, once available."

Metaphor: ReFantazio launches on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass on October 11, and should scratch the Persona 6-shaped itch we all have. Atlus is continuing its turn-based chops in a completely new fantasy world (that still makes references to Shin Megami, weirdly), with a kingdom that's scrambling to find a new leader.

This being an Atlus JRPG means even the Prologue demo isn't exactly small, though. It includes the game's first four dungeons, seven classes, and "the beginning of the journey to life the curse of death on the protagonist's best friend, the prince." Oh, and all progress carries over to the main game, so you can get a little head start.

Metaphor: ReFantazio devs say the JRPG's high-stakes elections are just like driving a race car, which is why they’re sponsoring F1’s most lovable loser. 

Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

Read more
The protagonist of Metaphor: ReFantazio, one of our best games of 2024
How Metaphor ReFantazio pulled Atlus out of its Persona rut
Metaphor: ReFantazio's protagonist looks into the camera with a determined expression.
Metaphor: ReFantazio director wants to turn it into "Atlus' third RPG series after Shin Megami Tensei and Persona"
The hunter faces down The White Wraith, an Arkveld, in a grassy plain in Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds devs "have polished our game as much as possible," producer says, which might not be very reassuring for the PC players experiencing performance issues
Metaphor: ReFantazio's protagonist looks out into the distance, with his fairy companion Gallica holding onto his shoulder.
The latest Metaphor: ReFantazio patch added a feature that I really wanted in my 100-hour playthrough of this massive JRPG
Persona 5 Royal screenshot
Sega outlines plan to "strengthen" Persona, Yakuza, and Sonic studios, says "Atlus is an important studio for us to expand Japanese IPs overseas"
Screenshot from Guns Undarkness
Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio composer's new JRPG gets a Steam Next Fest demo, and it's basically a turn-based Metal Gear Solid
Latest in JRPG
Suikoden
As Suikoden returns from the dead, Konami wants the cult JRPG classic to "become a huge title that can rival other AAA" games
Metaphor: ReFantazio's protagonist smiles at his fairy companion, Gallica in an anime-style cutscene.
After dominating 2024 with Sonic, Persona, Yakuza, and Metaphor, Sega is the first company to become the year's best-rated publisher 3 times
Persona 5 Royal screenshot
Sega outlines plan to "strengthen" Persona, Yakuza, and Sonic studios, says "Atlus is an important studio for us to expand Japanese IPs overseas"
Suikoden
Konami spent over 5 years bringing an iconic JRPG series back to life as reviving Suikoden "would be over" before it began if they released a "half-baked product"
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail cinematic screenshot showing Alphinaud Leveilleur, an Elezen boy with short white hair
Final Fantasy 14's funniest speedrunning beef continues as runner who lost a world record to its original champ in just 1 day returns, beats record, is promptly dethroned again
Persona 4 Golden All-Out-Attack cut-in screenshot featuring Kanji, Yu, Chie, and Yukiko.
Persona 4's iconic singer confirms she's "recording for a new game," leaving JRPG fans wondering if a remake is finally on the cards
Latest in News
Balatro
Balatro creator started "properly playing the game myself about a week before launch" and had "a pretty emotional moment" where he realized it's "actually fun"
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition
Hideo Kojima reveals Death Stranding 2: On the Beach release date, and the Collector's Edition includes exactly what I predicted it would
Kingmakers
Kingmakers is a strategy game about taking on medieval armies with a gun, but its devs thought the giant mech was too much
The Witcher 3 lead says "not many games" were trying to match the RPG back in 2015, and that meant "there was a risk" to making it in the first place
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip